Firearms



@et 12, 1937. STIENNON 2,095,296

FIREA'RMS Filed June 20, 1935 Patented Oct. 12, 1937 mais@ cerise FIREARMS Application June 20, 1935, Serial No. 27,517

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvement in rearms, and more particularly to the cover-plate trigger-guard features thereof.

One of the objects of the present invention is toprovide a superior firearm structure in which the cover-plate for the bottom frameopening may be conveniently secured in place and removed.

A further object is to provide a rearm structure in which the securing in place of the bottom cover-plate is eected by and dependent upon the trigger-guard.

With the above and other objects in View, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the following, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing and appended claims, the present invention includes all features disclosed therein which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a broken View mainly in side elevation and partly in Vertical central section of a firearm in which the present invention is incorporated;

Fig. 2 is a broken under-side View thereof with the locking-stud shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a broken transverse sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken on the line Ll-d of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a broken perspective view of the frame viewed mainly from the under-side thereof;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the triggerguard unit; and

Fig. 'l is a perspective view of the cover-plate or closure.

For the purpose of illustrating the present invention, a breakdown firearm has been shown in the accompanying drawing, which rearm includes, as is usual, a butt-unit and a barrel-unit. The butt-unit comprises in the main a frame generally designated by the numeral IB, and a buttstock I l secured to its rear end. The barrelunit comprises in the main one or more barrels I2 and a forestock I3, the shoe Iii of which latter bears against the cylindrically-contoured forward end I5 of the frame Iii much in the usual manner of breakdown firearms.

The frame I0 has rearwardly projecting from its upper and bottom walls respectively a pair of substantially-parallel spaced-apart tangs i6 and II. The respective rear ends of the tangs I6 and I1 just referred to are coupled together in spaced relationship by a substantially-vertical spacing-block I8 into which is threaded a butt- (Cl. Lift-#10) stock-bolt I9 serving to secure the buttstock II in place.

Directly below its forwardly-facing standingbreech 2t the frame l@ is provided with abottompassage 2l closed by a removable cover-plate or closure 22 and through which various machining operations may be carried on within the interior of the frame, and through which features of the mechanism may be introduced, removed and adjusted. The under-surface of the portion of the frame around the bottom-passage 2l is cut or otherwise shaped to provide a recess 23 and a substantially-continuous downwardlyfacing ledge 2li. The cover-plate 22 snugly i'lts the recess 23 just described and is so proportioned that when the edge of its upper face is engaged with the ledge 2li, its bottom surface will be iiush with the bottom surface of the frame I0.

In the forward Wall of the recess 23, the frame It is formed with an undercut coupling-recess 25, resulting in the formation of a rearwardlyprojecting coupling-lip or projection Z6 engageable by a coupling-lip 2l forwardly offsetting from the forward end of the cover-plate 22. Formed integral with and rearwardly-projecting from the cover-plate 22 is a locking-linger 28 having its upper rear corner notched as at 28a. The locking-finger 253 laterally snugly fits the forward end of the contracted lower portion of a groove-like T-shaped socket 29 formed in the under face of the frame I0 and its bottom tang I'l just rearwardly of the bottom-opening 2I and intersecting the recess 23.

The T-shaped groove or socket as thus 1ocated provides on its respective opposite sides a pair of complementary locking-ledges til-30, with the respective upper faces of which is adapted to engage the respective under faces of a pair of complementary locking-lingers 3l--3l of a T-shaped locking-stud 32 having a cylindrical body portion 3Ia.

To accommodate the cylindrical body portion Sie of the locking-stud 32, the complementary ledges Tit- 30, which in a sense overhang the wide part of the groove or socket 29 in the frame, are notched as at 33 so that the said groove or socket, viewed from the under-side of the firearm, presents a keyhole-shaped appearance. It will be noted, by reference to Fig. 6 in particular, that the head of the locking-stud 32, the opposite ends of which provide the locking-lingers ill-3l, is narrower than the cylindrical portion of the said locking-stud, and may readily be inserted into and removed from the socket or groove 29 through the relatively-narrow bottom portion thereof.

The locking-stud 32 before described vertically oisets from the forward end ofa trigger-guard 35 having an upwardly-facing locking-ledge 3e which normally extends beneath the under-face or the locking-lnger 28 of the cover-plate 22 and holds the rear end of the latter in the recess 23. The said trigger-guard 35 is located on the under-side of the firearm and is provided withV a rearwardly-extending tang 36 secured to the u nder-face of the buttstock I I by means of a`sorew 31. The loop-shaped forward portionof the trigger-guard 35V serves to outline a space in which a trigger 38 rocks, which trigger is pivotally connected to the Vbottom tang il by means of the transverse pivot-pin 39 extending thereacross.

As shown, the cover-plate 22, in addition to serving as a closure for the bottom-opening 2i in the frame l, is provided with an upwardly-opening shallow socket ll receiving the lower end of a helical spring l l which exerts an upward thrust upon a latch-member 42 mounted in the frame l0 just to the rear of the standing-breech 20 thereof. Y

Should it be desire-d to remove the cover-plate 22 for any reason, after the same has once been installed in place, the screw 3l may be removed to thus free the trigger-guard 35 for lateral pivotal movement about its locking-stud 32. When the trigger-guard is turned so that it projects at a right angle `from the gun structure, rather than extending parallel therewith, as is normal, the

locking-fingers 3-3i of the locking-.stud 32 are unhooked, so to speak, from the looking-ledges Sli-Sii of the T-shaped groove or socket 29, thus permitting the stud to be withdrawn downwardly from the said groovebringing with it the coupling-nger 28 of the bottom-.plate 22. Asthe trigger-guard unit, comprising the parts 3 l, Sia, 32, 34, 35 and Sie, is removed from the gun-structure as above described, the bottom-plate 22 will pivot about its coupling-lip 21 and assume substantially the position in which it is Yshown by broken lines in Fig. 1, from which position it may be removed from the gun Vstructure by moving itV rearwardly to disengage its coupling-lip 21 from the undercut coupling-recess 25. Y

When it is desired to replace the cover-plate 22, the gun may be inverted and the said plate positioned in the recess 23. If, now, the triggerguard isturned so as to extend at a rightV angle with respect to the gun structure and one of its looking-:ngers'l placed in the notch 28a above the coupling-ringer 28, both of the said couplingfingers may be passed through the contracted lower portion of the groove 29 into the relativelywide upper portion thereof, so that upon the turning the trigger-guard into its normal position, the said locking-fingers 3l-3l will hook over, so to speak, the upwardly-facing.locking-ledges.39- 3) formed at the respective opposite sides of the said groove 29.

Thus, the cover-plate 2i will be held at its forward end against downward displacement by the entry of its coupling-lip 21 into the undercut 25, and its rear end will be held in place by the locking-ledge 3A on the trigger-guard 35, which will, at this time, underlie a portion of the under-face of the coupling-finger 28. If, now, the screw 3l is passed through the tang 36 of the trigger-guard and screwed into the buttstock il, the triggerguard will thus be held against lateral swinging movement and both the said trigger-guard and the said cover-plate firmly held in place against accidental displacement. f

The invention may be carried out in other speposition with respect to the passage oic ways than that herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes Vcoming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appendedclaims are intended to be embraced therein.

n What is claimed:

l. A firearm construction, including: a frame having a passage therein; a closure for the said passage; and a trigger-guard unit physically distinct from the v'said frame and removable therefrom; the saidtrigger-guard unit having a portion serving to hold the said closure in closing in the said frame when the said trigger-guard unit is itself in assembled position on said frame.

2.. A rearm construction, including: a frame having a passage therein; a closure for the said passage; and a trigger-guard unit physically distinct from the said'frame and removable therefrom, and having a portion overlapping a portion of the said closure and serving to hold the same in place when the said trigger-guard unit is itself in assembled position on said frame.

3. A firearm construction, including: a frame having a passage therein and provided with a coupling-recess adjacent the latter; a closure iorV the passage in the said frame and having a portion exten-ding into the coupling-recess of the latter; and a trigger-guard unit physically distinct from the said frame and removable therefrom, and having a portion serving to hold the said closure in closing position with respect to the passage in the said frame when the said trigger-guard unit is itself in assembled position on said frame.

f 4. A firearm construction, including: a frame having a passage therein and provided with a coupling-recess adjacent the latter; a closure for the passage in the said frame and having a portion extending into the coupling-recess of the same; and a trigger-guard unit physically distinct from the said frame and removable therefrom, and having a portion overlapping a portion of the said closure and serving to hold the same in place when the Vsaid trigger-guard unit is itself in assembled position on said frame.

5. A firearm construction, including: a frame having a passage therein and also having a socket shaped to provide a locking-ledge; a closure for the passage in the said frame; and a removable trigger-guard unit provided with a locking-ringer engageable with the locking-ledge of the said frame; the said trigger-guard unit having a portion serving to hold the said closure in place when the said trigger-guard unit is itself in assembled position.

V6. A firearm construction, including: a frame having a passageV therein and also having a socket shaped to provide a locking-ledge; a closure for the passage in the said'frame; and a trigger-guard unit physically distinct from the said frame and removable therefrom, and having a portion overlapping a portion of the said closure and serving to hold the same in place when the said trigger-guard unit is itself in assembled position on said frame.

'7. A rearm construction, including: a frame having a passage therein and also having a socket shaped to provide two oppositely-located lockingledges; a closure for the passage in the said frame; and a removable trigger-guard unit provided with a pair of, complementary lockingfingers 'engageable with the oppositely-located locking-ledges of the said frame; the said triggerguard unit having a portion serving to hold the said closure in place when the said trigger-guard unit is itself in assembled position.

8. A rearm construction, including: a frame having a passage therein and also having a socket shaped to provide two oppositely-located lockingledges; a closure for the passage in the said frame; and a removable trigger-guard unit provided with a pair of complementary lockingngers engageable with the oppositely-located locking-ledges of the said frame; the said triggerguard unit having a portion engaging a portion of the said closure and serving to hold the same in place in the said frame When the said triggerguard unit is itself in assembled position.

9. A firearm construction, including: a frame having a passage therein and provided with a coupling-lip adjacent the same; a closure for the passage in the said frame and having a portion engaged with the coupling-lip of the latter; and a removable trigger-guard unit provided with a pair of complementary locking-fingers engageable with the oppositely-located locking-ledges of the said frame; the said trigger-guard unit having a portion serving to hold the said closure in place when the said trigger-guard unit is itself in assembled position.

10. A firearm construction, including: a frame having a passage therein and provided with a coupling-recess adjacent the same; a closure for the passage in the said frame and having a portion extending into the coupling-recess of the latter; and a removable trigger-guard unit provided With a pair of complementar;T lockingngers engageable with the oppositely-located locking-ledges of the said frame; the said triggerguard unit having a portion overlapping a portion of the said closure and serving to hold the same in place in the said frame When the said trigger-guard unit is itself in assembled position.

11. A firearm construction, including: a frame having a passage therein and also having a groove-like socket intersecting the said passage and shaped to provide a pair of complementary locking-ledges; a closure for the passage in the said frame; and a removable trigger-guard unit having a locking-stud offsetting therefrom, which locking-stud includes a substantially-cylindrical portion and a pair of complementary offsetting locking-fingers respectively engageable With the locln'ng-ledges of the groove in the said frame; a portion of the said trigger-guard unit having a portion engaging With a portion of the said closure and holding the same in place.

i2. A iirearm construction including in combination: a frame having a passage therein; physically distinct from the said frame and removable therefrom, and a closure for the said passage; and a trigger-guard having a portion serving to hold the said closure in closing position with respect to the passage in the said frame when the said removable trigger-guard lis in its normal position on the firearm structure.

ROY L. PARSELL,

Administrator of the Estate of Louis Stiemzon,

Deceased. 

